An Odd Feeling
by runyoubadwolf
Summary: In a turn of events, Paris's heroes have found out each other's identities. Chat Noir visits Marinette on her balcony so they can talk through this reveal. Based on the balcony scene rendering that was released.


It was an odd feeling, knowing that the masked cat boy sitting on the railing of her balcony was the classmate she'd been crushing on since the beginning of the year. Marinette wrung her hands together in front of her, trying to straighten out exactly what she was feeling. She was nervous because Chat was Adrien but, at the same time, she felt at ease because Adrien was Chat Noir, the partner she fought beside time and time again.

Taking a deep breath, Marinette untangled her fingers and stepped up to the railing of her balcony, leaning again it next to… Chat? Adrien? She didn't even know how to refer to him.

Both heroes looked out over their city, turning their heads to look at each other for only a moment before refocusing their gazes back on Paris. It would be easier to talk about this if she didn't have to look at him, knowing Adrien was under the mask.

The silence stretched and it made Marinette nervous. Yet, she couldn't find the right words to shatter that delicate silence. She almost jumped when Chat spoke first.

"I'm sorry. I know that you didn't want us to share our identities with each other. I'm sorry I let us get stuck like that." They weren't the words Marinette was expecting but they made her heart melt nonetheless. It was in no way his fault that the akuma had trapped them together after they'd both used their special powers, but here he was, apologizing like it was.

Any lingering nervousness crumbled away at Marinette's need to reassure her partner that there was no wrong doing on his part. "Chat, please don't blame yourself, there was nothing you could have done to prevent this from happening. Stop thinking about all the what if scenarios like I know you're doing right now. We saw each other and nothing is going to change that." Marinette could feel Chat examining her profile. She still hadn't looked at him since that first glance when she'd reached the railing.

"A-are you disappointed that I'm, you know, Adrien?" She whipped her head towards him, the shock evident on her face. "It's just that you don't really talk to Adrien all that often and when you do, you duck out pretty quickly. A-and you haven't called me Adrien since you found out." Marinette could see he feared what she'd say. He honestly thought she'd reject him as her partner now that she knew.

Marinette gathered her courage and placed a hand against Chat's cheek. "Oh Kitty, Adrien, how could I ever be disappointed that my goofball of a partner is also the sweetest guy I know? If anything, I would think you'd be disappointed that I'm Ladybug." She hoped to convey the truth of her words with the warm smile she gave him.

Chat looked at her in bewilderment, one of his gloved hands coming up to keep Marinette's resting on his cheek, as if the contact made their conversation real. "My lady, Princess, there was never any chance I would be disappointed in whoever was under the Ladybug mask. The fact that Marinette Dupain-Cheng is the one I'm fighting beside fills me with more happiness than I know what to do with. It makes so much sense that you're Ladybug, you always take charge in an emergency and you're willing to stand up for what's right. I can't think of anyone better for the job."

Stunned speechless, and a little teary eyed, Marinette pulled her hand from under Chat's on his cheek. Instead, wrapping her arms around his waist, burying her face in his side. It was a slightly awkward position and he had to adjust himself to avoid falling off the railing. When he felt secure enough on his perch, Chat Noir wrapped his arms around Marinette, resting his head lightly upon her own. They stayed like that for a long time, both murmuring "I'm so glad it's you"s and "Of course it's you"s.

When they untangled themselves from each other, Marinette's crush and partner were no longer two separate people in her mind, they had combined into the amazing person standing before her, someone who was both Adrien and Chat. Marinette's heart had never felt so full.


End file.
